The full chat log is available beginning here on Slack. View Transitions to Core @westonruter kicked off the discussion by referencing plans to graduate the View Transitions plugin into core for WordPress 7.0, noting it pairs well with the admin refresh and introduces theme support for configuration. @mikewpbullet raised concerns about potential clashes with plugins or custom code […]
Performance Chat Summary: 16 December 2025
The full chat log is available beginning here on Slack. WordPress Performance Trac tickets @westonruter shared that he is still working through fixes for a CSS issue introduced in WordPress 6.9 related to loading separate block styles on demand in PR #10601. Performance Lab Plugin (and other performance plugins) @westonruter noted that several PRs needs to be reviewed. […]
2026 Global Partner Program Announcement
Become a driving force behind WordPress innovation by joining the Global Community Sponsorship Program: a comprehensive initiative that supports the events and people powering our open source mission. As a Global Sponsor, your organization gains meaningful visibility across the international WordPress ecosystem while helping to fund events that foster growth, collaboration, and community. Why Choose Global Sponsorship? Instead […]
State of the Word 2025: Innovation Shaped by Community
State of the Word 2025 brought the WordPress community together for an afternoon that felt both reflective and forward-moving, blending stories of global growth with technical milestones and glimpses of the future. This year also marked the twentieth State of the Word since the first address in 2006, a milestone noted in the WordPress history book Milestones: The […]
WordPress 6.9 “Gene”
Each WordPress release celebrates an artist who has made an indelible mark on the world of music. WordPress 6.9, code-named “Gene,” honors the American Jazz pianist Gene Harris. A piano veteran, self taught at the age of six, Harris infused mainstream jazz with elements of soul, blues, and gospel, creating a warm, signature sound that is both elegant […]
WordPress 6.9 Release Candidate 3
The third Release Candidate (“RC3”) for WordPress 6.9 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC3 on a test server and site. Reaching this phase of the release […]
WordPress 6.9 Release Candidate 2
The second Release Candidate (“RC2”) for WordPress 6.9 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC2 on a test server and site. Reaching this phase of the release […]
WordPress 6.9 Frontend Performance Field Guide
This post is the latest in a series of updates focused on the performance improvements of major releases (see 6.8, 6.7, 6.6, 6.5, 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2). WordPress 6.9 is the second and final major release of 2025. It includes numerous improvements to the performance of loading pages on the frontend: Scripts: improve script loading performance by adding […]
WordPress 6.9 Release Candidate 1
The first Release Candidate (“RC1”) for WordPress 6.9 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended to evaluate RC1 on a test server and site. WordPress 6.9 RC1 can be tested […]
FAIR and Patchstack Build Security MVP at CloudFest USA Hackathon
This story was produced in collaboration with Mark Szymanski and Adam Weeks. Check out Mark’s full interview with the CloudFest USA Hackathon leads. Real-time security labeling for WordPress plugins and themes is one step closer to reality. At the first CloudFest USA Hackathon in Miami on November 4, contributors from the FAIR Package Manager project, Patchstack, and several […]


